Simple and Clean
by Alex Glaven
Summary: *Akiko* It's back! Garet's still pissy, swearing, and lighting things on fire! You gotta love 'im!
1. Chapter 1

Ookay, this was one of those spur of a moment kind of fics "read Midnight  
C's 'Embers' then got mad at someone and had to write a fic" sort of  
deals. Uh...does that make sense?  
Garet: Does to me!  
See? That's why you're one of my favorites!  
Garet: ONE of your favorites?  
Well, it's Garet's Kitchen, isn't it?  
Garet: I suppose so....where's Isaac?  
Congratulations, Garet. You're my muse for this fic.  
Garet: Booh yeah!  
Yup! Here you go!  
  
Simple and Clean  
  
The fire he controlled coursed through his veins, a low growl  
starting in his throat.  
  
Garet stalked up to his room and threw himself on the bed.   
"Damnit."  
  
He couldn't stay still for long. He jumped to his feet and  
stalked through his room. There was so much pent up energy in his  
system, and no way that he could see to put it to use. He looked to the  
window, but it was covered by heavy curtains. It was raining today. He  
hated the rain, so he shut it out. With another growl of frustration he  
tried the bed again, but only ended up throwing the pillows arranged  
neatly that morning around the room.  
  
And all the while the words that his sister had said sang through  
his memory, causing his temples to throb.  
  
"Garet, you're such a loser!" she had laughed. "You can't hold a  
job for more than a month! You've never had a girlfriend, you're stupid,  
big, and even your FRIENDS make fun of you!"  
  
"They don't mean it!" was all he could think to reply.  
  
"Oh, SURE they don't," she laughed again. "You're such an idiot,  
Garet. Face it, now that your STUPID journey's through there's nothing  
left for you! You're going to stay in this house with Mom and Dad for  
the rest of your life, eating their food and trying to say 'Oh, I helped  
Isaac save the world. I really did'. How much more pathetic can you  
get?"  
  
"Shut up!" he yelled. "Shut up shut up shut up!"  
  
That was when he had stalked to his room, angry enough to throw  
fireballs into all of his sister's precious flowers.   
  
Luckily, he had much more restraint then that.  
  
"It's not true," he fumed to himself. "It's not true it's not  
true it's not true!"  
  
But what made it hurt most of all, was that he thought she was  
right.  
  
"I'm so useless," he mumbled to himself, turning onto his back  
and staring up at the criss crossing rafters of his ceiling. His vision  
blurred with tears, and he angrily wiped them away, getting to his feet  
once more.   
  
"Damnit," he muttered again, walking closer and closer to the  
wall away from his door. Then, not because it helped, but seemed  
appropriate, he repeated the word. "Damnit damnit DAMNIT!"  
  
"Garet?"  
  
He turned quickly, hoping that he wasn't too red.  
  
Standing in the doorway was Mia.  
  
"Garet, what are you doing?" she asked, laughter sparkling behind  
her blue eyes, her clothing and hair slightly damp from the rain.   
"Swearing at the wall won't make it move."  
  
"I know that!" he spluttered.  
  
"Sure," she smiled, the laughter still in her eyes.  
  
*She's laughing at me,* the small voice of truth said softly.   
*Because I'm a stupid oaf that can't get anything right...*  
  
It was strange, usually Mia's very presence calmed him down quite  
a deal, but today...today...  
  
His anger grew, he could feel the air around him heating up.   
Somehow, he had to channel his anger, or the entire house would be  
torched. He pulled back one fist...  
  
And hit the wall. "DAMNIT!"  
  
"Garet!" Mia rushed over to him. His fist had punched through  
the wall, and it hurt like hell, but the pain allowed him to focus.   
Everything instantly cooled down.  
  
"Sorry," he muttered, trying to pull his hand out. To no avail.   
  
*********  
  
"Let me help you," she grabbed hold of his wrist, and they pulled  
together. His hand escaped the hole he had created, more or less in one  
piece. His knuckles were bloody, full of splinters of wood. "Garet, you  
oaf. Look what you did to yourself," Mia sighed. "Here, I'll heal  
it..."  
  
"Don't bother," he tugged his hand from her grasp and made his  
way to the door. Even Mia thought he was a stupid oaf. Mia, who seemed  
to understand everything and never passed judgement...   
  
"Wait, where are you going?" she called out.  
  
"Outside," he muttered.  
  
"But it's RAINING!" she took his arm. "You hate the rain!"  
  
"So what?" he shrugged her off, trundled down the stairs and out  
into the rain.  
  
*********  
  
"Stupid, didn't even grab a cloak," he muttered. Mia loved the  
rain, all Mercury Adepts did, at least the three that he had met. He  
despised the stuff, in fact, he really didn't like ANY water of ANY kind  
in the least bit. He was a Mars Adept, and a powerful one. He had hoped  
that the stronger he became, the better he would be at controlling his  
element and the rain wouldn't annoy him quite as much.  
  
He was wrong, of course. The more powerful he became, the more  
out of control the element of Mars had become. Everywhere he went he was  
nearly causing a fire, that was what he and his sister had been arguing  
about, he had nearly burned the house down. And the more out of control  
his element became, the more the rain became more than a nuisance. It  
almost hurt now...  
  
But rain made the world clean...maybe it could make him clean,  
too.   
  
He wasn't sure what he WOULDN'T give for a clean slate, to be  
able to just start over...fresh and new...  
  
"Garet, you oaf..."  
  
He shook his head, he didn't want Mia's words to haunt him. But  
they did. As did his sisters. Their voices filled his head, taunting  
him, to be replaced by fire.  
  
"Shut up," he muttered. "Damnit."  
  
Now the rain sizzled when it hit his skin, the water droplets  
evaporating into steam instantly.   
  
"Garet?" he turned around.   
  
It was Mia, her face nearly hidden by the hood of her cloak. He  
ground his teeth, he didn't want to talk to anyone...not anyone...  
  
"Garet, let's get inside, it's cold," she almost reached for his  
arm, but her hand dropped to her side.   
  
"I can't..." he muttered.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I'll end up losing my temper and burning something down," his  
gaze dropped to the ground. "Why can't everything be simple?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Mia took a step closer. Garet's anger was  
gone now, returning his control over his Psynergy.  
  
"Why...why do people have to die? Why couldn't Jenna have her  
family, and why can't Isaac have his father back?" he whispered. "And  
why can't we all just stay together, forever? Ivan already went back to  
Kalay, Sheba's returning to Kalay, Picard's going with her so that he can  
go back to Lemuria...and Felix and Jenna want to move..."  
  
That last one hurt, badly. Jenna was one of his best  
friends...his VERY best friends... "Why can't everything just stay the  
same?"  
  
"Things change, Garet," Mia's eyes were soft, understanding.   
"People die, they move on, and the rest of us just have to cope."  
  
"I'm sick of staying here..." he admitted. "I'm sick of being  
the one that stays here and copes."  
  
"We could go off together," her eyes had a mischievous sparkle in  
them. "Leave the world behind."  
  
"And be simple and clean?" he asked.  
  
"Yup, simple and clean," she agreed. "Simple and clean and  
good."  
  
For the first time in what felt like months, when his life had  
begun to fall apart somehow, he smiled. "Simple and clean and good."  
  
Hm...I rather liked it.  
Garet: Ooh, I was in a bad mood.  
That wall didn't stand a chance, did it.  
Garet: Nope! I laid the smack down on the wall!  
Right...well...I might continue this. I might not.  
Garet: Continue! Being your muse is fun!  
Right...so...yeah. Review and stuff. 


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, first things first. I never expected to write a second chapter to  
this. I kind of always wanted to, but I decided against it, even when it  
was requested.  
But THEN I got really pissed off at...well, life in general. And so I  
pulled this story out and just started writing.   
So, this story WILL be updated, but only when I'm in the proper mood.   
Which might be quite often.  
Anywho, that said, on with the story!  
  
Simple and Clean  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"Focus, Garet!"  
  
He WAS focusing, that was why the cave hadn't been turned into a raging  
inferno. If Alex would stop YELLING, then he would probably be having an  
easier time.  
  
He narrowed his eyes, his entire world narrowing to the wick of the  
candle. Setting things on fire usually wasn't a problem for him, but  
focusing enough to only light the tiny piece of string...it was a  
different matter entirely. It was nearly painful to direct the tiniest  
bit of Psynergy at the candle, to let only the smallest amount of power  
to take hold on the flammable string...  
  
The air around him was becoming hot, the icicles and snow clinging to the  
entrance began to melt...  
  
"That's enough, Garet," Alex shrugged when he was certain he almost had  
it. Something restrained him from lighting his "teacher" on fire.   
"We'll work again tomorrow."  
  
"Fine," Garet shrugged, trying to get the kinks out of his shoulders.  
  
After he had explained to Mia about his uncontrollable Psynergy, she had  
quickly brought him here, to Imil. She believed that the snow and cold  
could help him keep his own element in check. While that was fine with  
him, he wasn't sure he approved her choice of a teacher.  
  
Alex had been forgiven by the town, but only because of his explanation  
that he had only lit the Mercury Lighthouse for the good of everyone. He  
had yet to explain his other actions. The Mercury Adept spent the  
majority of his time in meditation, but he used some of his time trying  
to help Garet.  
  
Not that Garet trusted him in the least bit.  
  
They left the cave to be nearly blinded by sun on pure white snow. Mia  
was walking towards them, bundled in her cloak.  
  
"How did it go?" she asked, hope in her voice until she noticed Garet's  
expression.   
  
"Oh...not good, huh?"  
  
"Garet still needs help with his control," Alex explained. "He's a VERY  
powerful Adept, but unless those powers can be harnessed, then-"  
  
The Mars Adept nearly growled in frustration. They were talking like he  
was a small child who couldn't understand what they were saying. It was  
back to how it had been in Vale, he was the oaf. The idiot.   
  
Getting angrier the more that was said, Garet strode past them, towards  
the home he had to share with Alex.   
  
His room was small, uncomfortably small, but it had become something of a  
sanctuary to him. Ever since he had come to Imil, people skirted him,  
treated him different. He knew it was because he was a Mars Adept. He  
didn't know WHY the Imilians were afraid of him, but that fear had only  
increased the first time he had trained out in the open.  
  
It had been a simple thing, really. Alex would launch chunks of ice big  
enough to kill him upon impact towards him, and he would destroy them  
with fireballs. He hadn't even lost control...until the crowd had broke  
his concentration.  
  
The fire inside of him had been begging to come out, pushing him with  
each fireball he created. And after the first scream...  
  
He hadn't had much of a choice.  
  
The fire hadn't been big, but it melted through the snow and was quickly  
catching onto the dead growth beneath the ice before Alex put it out with  
Deluge. But the villagers had been afraid.   
  
He had been shunned, and kept mostly to himself after that. His training  
had even been moved into a small cave behind a waterfall. He didn't  
really mind, but he shuddered to think what it would be like going into  
the cave when the waterfall wasn't a solid sheet of ice. He didn't seem  
to be getting any better at control. If anything, he seemed worse.  
  
Ignoring the people on the street staring at him, ignoring the meant to  
be overheard rude comments, Garet stalked up to his own door. he  
wrenched it open, stepped inside, and slammed it closed behind them.  
  
He leaned against the door, allowing his anger to course through him. It  
was almost irrational, becoming so pissed off at something so small, but  
when it happened again...and again...and again...  
  
He only started to calm down when he realized his fingers were smoking.   
That was something new, usually he just burned everything in sight to  
ashes.  
  
"Maybe I am getting better," he muttered to himself. After a few  
minutes, he managed to calm down, and push himself away from the door.   
He walked into the kitchen, before he realized he really wasn't all that  
hungry.   
  
*What Isaac would give to see me now...*  
  
Alex was probably running home now. The Mercury Adept thought he  
couldn't survive a single minute alone, especially without reducing  
something to cinders.   
  
"Damnit," Garet growled, collapsing in a chair and kicked off his boots.   
*It doesn't matter where I go. People still treat me the same,  
no matter what I do...no matter where I am...*  
  
He stopped that train of thought immediatly when the air around him  
started to get warm.   
  
*Might as well try doing something useful,* he got up and moved to the  
fireplace. He began stacking twigs and logs on top of the charred  
remains of the previous day's fire. Accomplishing that task, he set his  
fingers lightly on the wood, and pulled Psynergy from himself, pushing  
into the logs, leaving a tiny signature mark that would light up  
instantly when he took his hands away.  
  
It was simple, really. He had done it hundreds of times.  
  
Today seemed to be a different matter.  
  
Each bit of Psynergy he forced from himself took an eternity to use. The  
fire kept on pushing at his mind, begging to be used. It was painful to  
keep it at bay.  
  
Finally, he removed his hands, and the logs began blazing cheerfully.  
  
He stared into that blaze, feeling a hunger for the flames, to engulf  
everything in flames...  
  
*What is wrong with me...?* he sat back and blinked. *Why can't I  
control it? Why CAN'T I?*  
  
He sighed, pulling back from the fire and curling up into the chair  
again.  
  
*When I told Mia I wanted things simple and clean...I meant it. But  
every day it just seems to get worse here...but what can I do? I can't  
keep running, but I can't just STAY here...*  
  
His gaze strayed back to the flames again. *What can I do...?*  
  
*****  
  
Yup. And stuff. Well, I might continue this soon, I might not. And  
flames are VERY welcome, maybe they'll get me in the mood to write  
another chapter. ^_^ Plus, Garet likes to eat them, you know. And we  
all want to make Garet happy, right? Right. ^_^ 


End file.
